Niemeyer files for council

BROOKINGS – Ope Niemeyer has filed paperwork to run for a three-year seat on the Brookings City Council.

There are two three-year seats open on the council. The other seat is held by Dan Hansen who announced on his “Dan Hansen for Council” Facebook page he will not seek re-election this year.

Niemeyer is an incumbent, having served three terms and is in his ninth year on the council. He’s the first to file, according to City Clerk Bonnie Foster.

When Niemeyer was contemplating another run, he decided to take a poll.

“I asked everybody. It was a decision that I let the community make. I asked various people,” Niemeyer said. “I’d go up to people that … I didn’t know them, but they knew me. And just asked them. … I said I’m considering running again, what do you think? And more people immediately said, ‘You should do that.’”

Niemeyer said he still has the drive to be on the council.

“I’m not scared to make the hard decisions,” he said.

He’s a businessman who owns and operates Ope Niemeyer Flooring, LLC.

“I guess I bring integrity. I got no conflict of interest and the decisions I’ve made sometimes might have maybe gone against my business, but … I make most of my decisions based on the quality of life in this city and what’s best for the city of Brookings.”

He cited his relationship with South Dakota State University and Brookings County commissioners.

“I kind of stand my ground for the city of Brookings,” he said.

“I guess I’m a big proponent of private and public partnerships,” Niemeyer said, mentioning the proposed 20th Street South interchange over Interstate 29. “We have private entities involved in that. We have private entities involved in helping us with some of our Park & Rec improvements that we’ve got coming up.”

The election will be April 14, 2020, if more than two people file for seats. The top two vote-getters will win the seats, according to Foster.

Deadline for candidates to file their paperwork to run is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28.